Relevance of MEP Drafting Services

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Drafting is the process of creating 2D drawings for buildings that aid the process of construction. Before the advent of computers, it was done manually on large sheets which were there carried to the construction sites. Creating these sheets was a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Computer Aided Design Drafting aka CAD Drafting has made the process relatively simpler and efficient as carrying out modifications to the digital drawings is much easier when compared to carrying out the updates manually. In this blog, we will be discussing the relevance of MEP Drafting Services in today’s scenario.

There are several benefits that CAD Services offers to the construction industry. A lot has been written and discussed about these benefits. You can read more about this in one of our previous blogs. These advantages make CAD Drafting an integral part of a building project. Be it Architectural drawings or MEP drawings, computer-aided drafting has a major role to play. In the field of MEP, the 2D drawings can be shop drawings, installation drawings, or design drawings.

The widespread use of BIM Modeling in infrastructure projects has divided the experts on the future of CAD Drafting. While some argue that CAD drafting refers to “Drafting that is carried out using software other than BIM”, others argue that the real definition of CAD is “Computer Aided Drafting” where the word “Computer” holds the key. By the later definition, all 2D drawings that are produced using a Computer are classified under CAD Drafting Services; irrespective of the type of software used to produce it (2D software or BIM software). Today’s BIM software are capable of delivering 2D sheets for MEP Shop Drawings and MEP Installation Drawings that are directly exported from the 3D model.

Though BIM has reduced the use of 2D based software, it has not completely eliminated its use. There are some special cases where the use of 2D software is inevitable. One such case is when you have hard copies of the drawings and you want to digitize it for your records and future/current use. Let us consider an example wherein you have hard copies of Ducting and Chill water layout for an office space. You want to carry out some modifications in the space utilization of the building. Some of the open spaces need to be converted to cabins and vice-a-versa. You will need the 2D drawings of existing MEP conditions for the development of new design so that the modifications can be limited to a minimum. In such a scenario, existing 2D drawings are scanned to obtain a digital format of the drawing in pdf format. This can then be converted to drawing files using AutoCAD. The CAD files can be further used to develop a BIM model if required.

Closing:

The construction industry has benefitted immensely by utilizing CAD Services in the Architectural, Structural, as well as MEPF elements of the building. They are central to the construction process. Though adoption of BIM has simplified the creation of 2D drawings to a great extent, it has not “replaced”two-dimensional drawings during the construction of a building. Most of the industry bigwigs opine that CAD Drafting is here to stay in the near future.